Follow Me On The Web!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY’S GAME
————————————————
Choices are the hinges of destiny.

Edwin Markham

==============================

Tell it to me Thursday. That’s the game I have today.

My schedule is filled with a combinations of interviews and client meetings & calls. So my game is to have those clients and prospects be honest with me, to tell me where we can be of service to them. Sort of like the Dr interviewing the patient, an honest open patient helps the Dr many times see what the patient can’t.

This weeks game has been a mixture of movement, newness and a little stuck. I say that knowing that several new opportunities are popping up, some tremendous new offensive player candidates have been added to the list, and we’ve been moving forward eating the fruit of some big past games. Just noticing that several opportunities on base seem to be waiting for an internal meeting, a little busy right now and things like that. A sense of urgency may be missing and may need to be added to really accelerate scoring in the game.

How has your game been this week? Are opportunities advancing on base? Fruits being enjoyed, clients left with a sense ofhaving been served? Are you seeing the new opportunities that are there? Maybe a very quick look will reveal any tune up’s or adjustments to your game that could make all the difference. Remember in professional baseball you only need to succeed 3 out of 10 times at bat to be a great hitter, minor adjustments can shift a player from 2 out of 10 quickly.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY!!
“Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward.”
Author Unknown
————————————————————————————-It is What’s Up Wednesday…..

I was struggling to come up with a name for today’s game. Then I paused and realized I had the focus in my world on me, I was in my head as some would say. If that doesn’t make sense, don’t worry I’ll say more.

So “What’s Up Wednesday” makes perfect sense for today – it is “hey what’s up?” in the other persons world. What is happening with them, what is happening in their business? It is in those questions that I can find the opportunity to make a difference for that person or that person’s business. (Ultimately that all comes down to making a difference for THAT person)

When we speak of discovering “pain” in our business process the focus has to be on the other person. The distractions & circumstances of my own life have to be put aside or I won’t be able to hear or see the other guy’s pain. And rest assured, we all have those circumstances that call us to focus on ourselves, to pull us back from being all we can be, pull us back from making a real difference.

That is enough said on that!

So the invitation today is to look and see if circumstances in your life are pulling you off track (remember last week we had Derailed? Wednesday). As they say in sports, get out of your head. Set those aside, focus on the future you are creating, the one you are building before you, Where can I place the next brick, where is the next building stone?

What is the next thing to do? If the next thing is to shore up the foundation, then stay focused on how that contributes and builds the future. Focus on the difference you can make for your clients, customers and while you are at it, for the people you encounter today.

Who’s (or what opportunity is) on base and what is the next step to move them forward. We’ve been doing a lot of scoring the last few weeks. Now it is time to ensure that each of these new customers is taken care of, satisfied and the relationship is nurtured.

Each new relationship is like a seed in the ground. It must be cared for – tended too. We must be on the lookout for weeds that can spring up to strangle our seed. The seed needs to be watered and fertilized, not drowned or burned!

The immenseness of the opportunities and relationships can be overwhelming. No need for overwhelm, put a plan into existence, schedule it, and make it happen one day at a time. Like the garden, you do a month’s worth of watering in a day or the plants will all drown. Rather, do a little each day, everyday to move things forward and the garden will prosper.

Let’s make it happen! Let’s move on the bases. Let’s tend to our garden.

It’s “take the time Friday” at Starting Gate Park. This week has flown by for me.

So “Take the Time Friday”? What’s with that?

This is a reminder for me to:
Take the Time to be present to what is around me? …who is around me? ….what is really happening around me? Am I being effective, am I being thorough? Have I covered all the bases, or did I not touch second or third in my hurry to get home.

Am I experiencing what there is to experience? We have all heard to stop and smell the roses…I know I need to stop and experience the people around me, who they are and what they are up to – really many times the contribution they are making to me at that moment. Many times I find myself oblivious to all but what I’m focused on and I miss the the turn off that would take me right to my destination.

Certainly a change of pace and maybe a little bit of a miss-namer, this Take the Time Friday. It may actually take no time, just some conscious effort to be present to all that is happening around me.

In the end, this will further the game. I’ll be soaring with more ease, and the team around me will be playing more effectively, with more energy and focus.